DALLAS—Colonel Paul E. Owen, the Commander and Division Engineer of the Southwestern Division, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, was confirmed for promotion to the grade of brigadier general by the United States Senate. The promotion date is yet to be determined, but it is normally a few months after Senate confirmation.

Owen took command of the Southwestern Division on June 29, 2017. Shortly after taking command, he led the Corps’ response to Hurricane Harvey in Texas.

Prior to that time, he served as the Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC, beginning in August 2016.

The Southwestern Division, which is headquartered in Dallas, is one of nine Corps of Engineers regional commands. With four District Offices in Little Rock, Arkansas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Galveston and Fort Worth, Texas, it encompasses all or part of seven states, and covers some 2.3 million acres of public land and water. As the SWD Commander and Division Engineer, Owen oversees hundreds of water resources development and military design and construction projects that bring value to local communities, the Nation and the Nation’s warfighters.

Owen was commissioned as an Engineer Officer from the U.S. Military Academy in 1990, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering. He also holds a Master of Science in Engineering Management from Missouri University of Science and Technology, and a Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Owen’s other assignments include commander, Transatlantic Afghanistan District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, headquartered at Bagram Airfield, from June 2015 through July 2016. Prior to that command, he served as commander of the New York District, headquartered in New York City, from September 2012 through May 2015, where he coordinated the Federal engineering efforts for FEMA during initial response actions after Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 and led the implementation of a $3 billion region-wide recovery program designed to reduce the risks of future coastal storms in New York and New Jersey.

He has held numerous other assignments, both stateside and overseas, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Owen’s military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, and Combat Action Badge. He is also a recipient of the Army Engineer Association Silver de Fleury Medal.